Semiconductor package with leadframe interconnection structure

ABSTRACT

An embodiment of a semiconductor package includes a leadframe and a mold compound partly encasing the leadframe so that leads protrude from the mold compound and at least two die pads have a surface at a first side of the leadframe which is not covered by the mold compound. A laser module is attached to the surface of the at least two die pads which is not covered by the mold compound. A driver die is attached to the leadframe at a second side of the leadframe opposite the first side so that the laser module and the driver die are disposed in a stacked arrangement, the driver die configured to control the laser module. The driver die is in direct electrical communication with the laser module only through the leadframe and any interconnects which attach the laser module and driver die to the leadframe.

BACKGROUND

Various types of applications require low inductance electricalconnections between system components. For example, LIDAR (lightdetection and ranging) is an application that measures distance to atarget by illuminating the target with pulsed laser light and measuringthe reflected pulses with a sensor. LIDAR has many applications,including 3D (three-dimensional) mapping, autonomous and non-autonomousautomotive and non-automotive vehicles, distance measurement, laserscanners, fiber optic integrity instruments, to name a few. For example,differences in laser return times and wavelengths can be used toconstruct 3D representations of a target. For a LIDAR system to locateand identify objects in real time, the light emission and sensingfunctions of the LIDAR system must be performed at high frequency, e.g.millions of times per second (nanosecond range). Low inductanceelectrical connections between LIDAR system components is needed to meetsuch high frequency requirements. In another example, low inductanceelectrical connections between a power transistor die and the driver forthe power transistor in power module applications such as automotive andsolar inverters are needed to increase switching frequency capability.

Thus, there is a need for a semiconductor package technology with lowinductance electrical connections between components of the package.

SUMMARY

According to an embodiment of a semiconductor package, the semiconductorpackage comprises: a leadframe comprising leads and a plurality of diepads; a mold compound partly encasing the leadframe so that the leadsprotrude from the mold compound and at least two of the plurality of diepads have a surface at a first side of the leadframe which is notcovered by the mold compound; a laser module attached to the surface ofthe at least two die pads which is not covered by the mold compound, thelaser module configured to emit laser light outward from thesemiconductor package; and a driver die attached to the leadframe at asecond side of the leadframe opposite the first side so that the lasermodule and the driver die are disposed in a stacked arrangement, thedriver die configured to control the laser module. The driver die is indirect electrical communication with the laser module only through theleadframe and any interconnects which attach the laser module and thedriver die to the leadframe.

In one embodiment of the semiconductor package, the leads extend along afirst plane within the mold compound, and the at least two die padsextend along a second plane within the mold compound different than thefirst plane so that a step is provided between the at least two die padsand the leads within the mold compound.

In another embodiment of the semiconductor package, the leads and the atleast two die pads extend along a same first plane within the moldcompound.

Separately or in combination, the mold compound may have an openingwhich extends to the surface of the at least two die pads and the lasermodule may be disposed in the opening.

Separately or in combination, the semiconductor package may furthercomprise a transparent epoxy covering the laser module and filling theopening in the mold compound.

Separately or in combination, a thickness of the laser module may beless than a height of the opening in the mold compound, the thickness ofthe laser module and the height of the opening being measured in adirection perpendicular to the first side of the leadframe.

Separately or in combination, the semiconductor package may furthercomprise one or more capacitors attached to the first side of theleadframe or to a second side of the leadframe opposite the first side.

Separately or in combination, the one or more capacitors may be encasedin the mold compound.

Separately or in combination, the first side of the leadframe may not becovered by the mold compound so that the one or more capacitors are notencased in the mold compound.

According to an embodiment of a method of manufacturing a semiconductorpackage, the method comprises: providing a leadframe comprising leadsand a plurality of die pads; partly encasing the leadframe in a moldcompound so that the leads protrude from the mold compound and at leasttwo of the plurality of die pads have a surface at a first side of theleadframe which is not covered by the mold compound; attaching a lasermodule to the surface of the at least two die pads which is not coveredby the mold compound, the laser module configured to emit laser lightoutward from the semiconductor package; and attaching a driver die tothe leadframe at a second side of the leadframe opposite the first sideso that the laser module and the driver die are disposed in a stackedarrangement, the driver die configured to control the laser module. Thedriver die is in direct electrical communication with the laser moduleonly through the leadframe and any interconnects which attach the lasermodule and the driver die to the leadframe.

In one embodiment of the method, the leads extend along a first planewithin the mold compound, the at least two die pads extend along asecond plane within the mold compound different than the first plane sothat a step is provided between the at least two die pads and the leadswithin the mold compound, and the driver die is attached to theleadframe in a flip-chip configuration.

In another embodiment of the method, the leads and the at least two diepads extend along a same first plane within the mold compound, thedriver die is attached to the leadframe in a flip-chip configuration,and the surface at the first side of the leadframe which is not coveredby the mold compound via an over-molded film-assist molding process.

Separately or in combination, an opening may be formed in the moldcompound during the over-molded film-assist molding process, the openingextending to the surface of the at least two die pads and sized toreceive the laser module.

Separately or in combination, the method may further comprise coveringthe laser module and filling the opening in the mold compound with atransparent epoxy.

Separately or in combination, the method may further comprise attachingone or more capacitors to the first side of the leadframe or to a secondside of the leadframe opposite the first side.

According to an embodiment of a semiconductor package, the semiconductorpackage comprises: a leadframe comprising leads; a mold compound partlyencasing the leadframe so that the leads protrude from the moldcompound; a power transistor die attached to the leadframe at a firstside of the leadframe; and a driver die attached to the leadframe at asecond side of the leadframe opposite the first side so that the powertransistor die and the driver die are disposed in a stacked arrangement,the driver die configured to control the power transistor die. Thedriver die is in direct electrical communication with the powertransistor die only through the leadframe and any interconnects whichattach the power transistor die and the driver die to the leadframe.

The semiconductor package may further comprise: a first metal clipattached to a side of the power transistor die facing away from thefirst side of the leadframe; and a second metal clip attached to a sideof the driver transistor die facing away from the second side of theleadframe, wherein a surface of the first metal clip facing away fromthe first side of the leadframe is not covered by the mold compound anda surface of the second metal clip facing away from the second side ofthe leadframe is not covered by the mold compound, so that thesemiconductor package has double-sided cooling via the first and thesecond metal clips.

According to an embodiment of a method of manufacturing a semiconductorpackage, the method comprises: providing a leadframe comprising leads;partly encasing the leadframe in a mold compound so that the leadsprotrude from the mold compound; attaching a power transistor die to theleadframe at a first side of the leadframe; and attaching a driver dieto the leadframe at a second side of the leadframe opposite the firstside so that the power transistor die and the driver die are disposed ina stacked arrangement, the driver die configured to control the powertransistor die. The driver die is in direct electrical communicationwith the power transistor die only through the leadframe and anyinterconnects which attach the power transistor die and the driver dieto the leadframe.

Before partly encasing the leadframe in the mold compound, the methodmay further comprises attaching a first metal clip to a side of thepower transistor die facing away from the first side of the leadframeand attaching a second metal clip to a side of the driver transistor diefacing away from the second side of the leadframe, wherein a surface ofthe first metal clip facing away from the first side of the leadframe isnot covered by the mold compound and a surface of the second metal clipfacing away from the second side of the leadframe is not covered by themold compound, so that the semiconductor package has double-sidedcooling via the first and the second metal clips.

Separately or in combination, the driver die and the power transistordie may each be attached to the leadframe in a flip-chip configuration.

Those skilled in the art will recognize additional features andadvantages upon reading the following detailed description, and uponviewing the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The elements of the drawings are not necessarily to scale relative toeach other. Like reference numerals designate corresponding similarparts. The features of the various illustrated embodiments can becombined unless they exclude each other. Embodiments are depicted in thedrawings and are detailed in the description which follows.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate different perspective views of an embodiment ofa semiconductor package for use in LIDAR and other laser light-basedobject recognition and tracking applications.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of an embodiment of a method ofmanufacturing the semiconductor package shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate different perspective views of anotherembodiment of a semiconductor package for use in LIDAR and other laserlight-based object recognition and tracking applications.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow diagram of an embodiment of a method ofmanufacturing the semiconductor package shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of asemiconductor package for use in LIDAR and other laser light-basedobject recognition and tracking applications.

FIG. 8 illustrates a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of asemiconductor package for use in LIDAR and other laser light-basedobject recognition and tracking applications.

FIG. 9 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a powersemiconductor package for use in power module applications.

FIG. 10 illustrates a flow diagram of an embodiment of a method ofmanufacturing the power semiconductor package shown in FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments described herein provide semiconductor packagetechnology having a stacked arrangement of components. Direct electricalcommunication between the stacked components is provided only through aleadframe and any interconnects which attach the components to theleadframe. Components facing each other are attached to a singleleadframe/distribution (routing) metal layer in the package which allowscomponent such as drivers, passive components, laser modules and/orpower devices to communicate over a very short distance, therebylowering parasitic inductance within the package. The semiconductorpackage technology described herein yields a three-dimensional stackedcomponent configuration with a single leadframe routing design, which iswell-suited for applications requiring low inductance electricalconnections between package components, such as LIDAR systems, powersemiconductor modules, etc.

In the case of LIDAR systems and other laser light-based objectrecognition and tracking applications, the semiconductor packageincludes a leadframe having leads and a plurality of die pads (alsocommonly referred to as die paddles), and a mold compound partlyencasing the leadframe so that the leads protrude from the mold compoundand at least two of the plurality of die pads have a surface at a firstside of the leadframe which is not covered by the mold compound. A lasermodule is attached to the surface of the at least two die pads which isnot covered by the mold compound. The laser module is configured to emitlaser light outward from the semiconductor package. A driver die isattached to the leadframe at a second side of the leadframe opposite thefirst side so that the laser module and the driver die are disposed in astacked arrangement. The driver die is configured to control the lasermodule, e.g., by delivering the current needed by the laser module tooperate for a particular application. The driver die is in directelectrical communication with the laser module only through theleadframe and any interconnects such as solder bumps, Cu pillars, etc.which attach the laser module and the driver die to the leadframe.

FIG. 1 illustrates a top perspective view of an embodiment of asemiconductor package 100 for use in LIDAR and other laser light-basedobject recognition and tracking applications. FIG. 2 illustrates a sideperspective view of the semiconductor package 100, but without the moldcompound encapsulant.

The semiconductor package 100 includes a leadframe 102 which has leads104 and die pads 106. The lead frame 102 is a metal structure inside thepackage 100 for carrying signals and power to components within thepackage 100. A mold compound 108 partly encases the leadframe 102 sothat the leads 104 protrude from the mold compound 108 and at least twoof the die pads 106 have a surface 110 at a top side 112 of theleadframe 102 which is not covered by the mold compound 108. The leads104 are shown as protruding from opposing side faces of the moldcompound 108, e.g., in a small outline package (SOP) configuration. Theleads 104 may protrude from the mold compound 108 in any typical moldedpackage configuration such as SOP, flat package configuration like quadflat pack (QFP), quad flat no-leads (QFN), etc., through-holeconfiguration like single in-line package (SIP), dual in-line package(DIP), etc. Any typical mold compound may be used as the encapsulant 108such as an epoxy mold compound. Mold compounds are typically formulatedfrom epoxy resins containing inorganic fillers, catalysts, flameretardants, stress modifiers, adhesion promoters, and/or otheradditives.

The semiconductor package 100 also includes a laser module 114 attachedto the surface 110 of the at least two die pads 106 which is not coveredby the mold compound 108. The laser module 114 is configured to emitlaser light outward from the semiconductor package 100. The laser module114 may include a solid-state laser, a flash laser which has a singlelight source that illuminates the field of view in a single pulse, aphased array laser that can illuminate any direction by using amicroscopic array of individual antennas, etc. The laser module 114 mayinclude a 1D (one-dimensional) or 2D (two-dimensional) MEMS mirror andASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) or controller forcontrolling the MEMS mirror.

A driver die 116 is attached to the leadframe 102 at a bottom side 118of the leadframe 102 so that the laser module 114 and the driver die 116are disposed in a stacked arrangement. The driver die 116 is configuredto control the laser module 114, e.g., by delivering current needed bythe laser module 114 to operate for a particular application. The driverdie 116 may be configured to drive the laser module 114 to producehigh-frequency laser pulses, e.g. in the nanosecond (ns) range, suitablefor use in LIDAR and other laser light-based object recognition andtracking applications. For example, some LIDAR applications may utilizepulsed laser light sources emitting at 905 nm wavelength with an opticalpulse power exceeding 100 watt at pulse widths from 5 to 20 ns. Thedriver die 116 may be fabricated from a suitable wideband semiconductortechnology such as GaN and configured to meet such pulse power andfrequency requirements. For example, the driver die 116 may be a GaNlaser diode driver for LIDAR applications. The driver die 116 may beconfigured to meet other power and frequency requirements, which dependon the application in which the semiconductor package 100 is to be used,and may be fabricated from semiconductor technologies other than GaNsuch as Si, SiC, etc.

Regardless of the type of laser module 114 and driver die 116 employed,the driver die 116 is in direct electrical communication with the lasermodule 114 only through the leadframe 102 and any interconnects 120 suchas solder bumps, Cu pillars, etc. which attach the laser module 114 andthe driver die 116 to the leadframe 102. Hence, no additional electricalconnectors such as wire bonds are used for routing signals directlybetween the driver die 116 and the laser module 114. With such a directinterconnection configuration provided by the single leadframe 102, alow inductance electrical interface is provided between the driver die116 and the laser module 114 which yields improved frequency response.

According to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the leadframe102 has a down-set configuration. That is, the leads 104 extend along afirst plane A within the mold compound 108 and the at least two die pads106 attached to the laser module 114 extend along a second plane Bwithin the mold compound 108 different than the first plane A asindicated by the downward facing arrows in FIG. 2, which results in astep 122 provided between the at least two die pads 106 and the leads104 within the mold compound 108. The leadframe 102 may have a doubledownset as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a single downset, no downset, or morethan two downsets, each ‘downset’ corresponding to a transition from oneplane of the leadframe 102 to another plane (e.g. the transition betweenplane ‘A’ and plane ‘B’ represents a downset).

The semiconductor package 100 may further include one or more capacitors124 attached to the top or bottom side 112, 118 of the leadframe 102.For example, the one or more capacitors 124 may include high-frequencycapacitors for the power loop and/or a bypass capacitor for the driverdie 116. The one or more capacitors 124 may be encased in the moldcompound 108 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a method of manufacturing thesemiconductor package 100 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The method includessingulating a semiconductor wafer which includes a plurality of driverdies into individual (separate) dies (Block 200). Leadframes areprovided for the separated driver dies (Block 210). Each leadframe (LF)has leads and die pads configured to receive a semiconductor die. Theleadframes also have the down-set configuration previously describedherein. A separate driver die is attached to the leads of each leadframeat the bottom side of the leadframe in a flip-chip configuration (Block220), e.g., via solder bumps, Cu pillars, etc. The leadframes are thenflipped so that the top side of the leadframes are facing upward (Block230). One or more capacitors are attached to the leads of each leadframeat the top side of the leadframe in a flip-chip configuration or to thebottom side of the leadframe (Block 240), e.g., via solder bumps, Cupillars, etc. The leadframes are then partly encased in a mold compoundusing, e.g., a film-assist molding (FAM) process (Block 250). After themolding process, the leads protrude from the mold compound and at leasttwo of the die pads have a surface at a top side of each leadframe whichis not covered by the mold compound. The molded bodies may be subjectedto a de-flashing process such as chemical de-flashing, laserde-flashing, etc. to remove flash from the molded parts which mayaccumulate during the molding process (Block 260). A laser module isthen attached to the surface of the at least two die pads of eachleadframe which is not covered by the mold compound (Block 270). Thelaser modules may be attached to the exposed part of the die pads aspart of the package manufacturing process, or may be attached to theexposed die pads later, e.g., during a subsequent manufacturing processwith utilizes the semiconductor package.

FIG. 4 illustrates a top perspective view of another embodiment of asemiconductor package 300 for use in LIDAR and other laser light-basedobject recognition and tracking applications. FIG. 5 illustrates a sideview of the semiconductor package 300, but without the mold compoundencapsulant.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is similar to the embodiment shownin FIGS. 1 and 2. Different, however, the mold compound 108 is formedusing an over-molded FAM process to ensure that the surface 110 at thefirst side 112 of the leadframe 102 to which the laser module 114 isattached is not covered by the mold compound 108. The over-molded FAMprocess utilizes an insert in the FAM tool which creates an opening(window) 302 in the molded package body. The opening 302 is sized toreceive the laser module 114. The laser module 114 is disposed in theopening 302 and attached to the surface 110 of the at least two die pads106 exposed by the opening 302, e.g., by solder bumps, Cu pillars, etc.In one embodiment, the thickness (T) of the laser module 114 is lessthan the height (H) of the opening 302 in the mold compound 108 as shownin FIG. 4, as measured in a direction Z perpendicular to the top side112 of the leadframe 102.

Further different than the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the leads104 and the at least two die pads 106 attached to the laser module 114may extend along the same plane C within the mold compound 108 as shownin FIG. 5. With this configuration, no step is provided between the diepads 106 and the leads 104 within the mold compound 108.

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of a method of manufacturing thesemiconductor package 300 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The method includessingulating a semiconductor wafer which includes a plurality of driverdies into individual (separate) dies (Block 400). Leadframes areprovided for the separated driver dies (Block 410). Each leadframe (LF)has leads and die pads configured to receive a semiconductor die. Aseparate driver die is attached to the leads of each leadframe at thebottom side of the leadframe in a flip-chip configuration, e.g., viasolder bumps, Cu pillars, etc., the leadframes are then flipped so thatthe top side of the leadframes are facing upward, and one or morecapacitors are attached to the leads of each leadframe at the top sideof the leadframe in a flip-chip configuration, e.g., via solder bumps,Cu pillars, etc. or to the bottom side of the leadframe (Block 420). Theleadframes are then partly encased in a mold compound using anover-molded FAM to create an opening (window) in each molded packagebody for receiving a laser module, and the molded parts may be subjectedto a de-flashing process such as chemical de-flashing, laserde-flashing, etc. to remove flash which may accumulate during themolding process (Block 430). After the FAM process, the leads protrudefrom the mold compound and the opening formed in each molded packagebody exposes at least two of the die pads. A laser module is thenattached to the surface of the at least two die pads of each leadframewhich is exposed by the opening formed in the mold compound (Block 440).The laser modules are then covered and the openings in the mold compoundfilled with a transparent epoxy such as a glob top, potting compound,etc. (Block 450).

FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of asemiconductor package 500 manufactured in accordance with the method ofFIG. 6, after covering the laser module 114 and filling the opening 302in the mold compound 108 with transparent epoxy 502. The transparentepoxy 502 minimally interferes with the laser light emitted outward fromthe semiconductor package 500 by the laser module 114. The emitted lightis illustrated as dotted lines in FIG. 7. The semiconductor package 500may be attached to a substrate 504 such as a printed circuit board (PCB)which forms part of a larger assembly such as a LIDAR system.

FIG. 8 illustrates a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of asemiconductor package 600 for use in LIDAR and other laser light-basedobject recognition and tracking applications. The embodiment shown inFIG. 8 is similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 7. Different, however,the entire top side 112 of the leadframe 102 is not covered by the moldcompound 108 so that all of the components attached to the top side 112of the leadframe 102 are free of the mold compound 108, including theone or more capacitors 124 and the laser module 114. Also, thesemiconductor package 600 shown in FIG. 8 may include wire bonds 602 forforming lead-to-lead electrical connections inside the molded package.In FIG. 7, all internal electrical connections are provided by theleadframe 102.

FIG. 9 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a powersemiconductor package 700 for use in power module applications such asautomotive, solar inverters, etc. The power semiconductor package 700includes a leadframe 702 having leads 704, and a mold compound 706partly encasing the leadframe 702 so that the leads 704 protrude fromthe mold compound 706, e.g., in a SOP, QFP, QFN, SIP, DIP, etc.configuration. Any typical mold compound may be used as the encapsulant706 such as an epoxy mold compound.

The power semiconductor package 700 also includes a power transistor die708 attached to the leadframe 702 at one side 710 of the leadframe 702,e.g., the bottom side. The power transistor die may be a power MOSFET(metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor) die, an IGBT(insulated gate bipolar transistor) die, a JFET (junction FET) die, aHEMT (high-electron mobility transistor) die, etc. The power transistordie 708 includes a semiconductor device used as a switch or rectifier inpower electronics, such as a switch-mode power supply as an example.

The power semiconductor package 700 further includes a driver die 712attached to the opposite side 714 of the leadframe 702 as the powertransistor die 708. This way, the power transistor die 708 and thedriver die 712 are disposed in a stacked arrangement. The driver die 712is configured to control the power transistor die 708, e.g., byswitching on and off the semiconductor device included in the powertransistor die 708. The driver die 712 is in direct electricalcommunication with the power transistor die 708 only through theleadframe 702 and any interconnects 716 such as solder bumps, Cupillars, etc. which attach the power transistor die 708 and the driverdie 712 to the leadframe 702. With such a direct interconnectionconfiguration provided by the single leadframe 702, a low inductanceelectrical interface is provided between the driver die 712 and thepower transistor die 708 which yields increased switching frequencycapability.

According to one embodiment, the power semiconductor package 700 alsoincludes a first metal clip 718 such as a Cu clip attached to the sideof the power transistor die 708 facing away from the leadframe 702 and asecond metal 720 clip such as a Cu clip attached to the side of thedriver die 712 facing away from the leadframe 702. The surface 722 ofthe first metal clip 718 facing away from the leadframe 702 is notcovered by the mold compound 706. The surface 724 of the second metalclip 720 facing away from the leadframe 702 also is not covered by themold compound 706. With this configuration, the power semiconductorpackage 700 has double-sided cooling via the first and the second metalclips 718, 720. The double-sided cooling is graphically illustrated byrespective groups of doted lines, each group of doted lines representinga heat dissipation path for the power semiconductor package 700. Thepower semiconductor package 700 may be attached to a substrate 726 suchas a PCB which forms part of a larger assembly such as a power module.

FIG. 10 illustrates an embodiment of a method of manufacturing the powersemiconductor package 700 shown in FIG. 9. The method includessingulating a first semiconductor wafer which includes a plurality ofpower transistor dies into individual (separate) transistor dies, andsingulating a second semiconductor wafer which includes a plurality ofpower semiconductor driver dies into individual driver dies (Block 800).Leadframes are provided for the separated dies (Block 810). Eachleadframe (LF) has leads configured to receive a semiconductor die. Aseparate power transistor die is attached to the leads of each leadframeat the bottom side of the leadframe in a flip-chip configuration, e.g.,via solder bumps, Cu pillars, etc., and a first metal clip such as a Cuclip is attached to the side of each power transistor die facing awayfrom the corresponding leadframe (Block 820). The leadframes are thenflipped so that the opposite side of the leadframes are facing upward(Block 830). A separate driver die is attached to the leads of eachleadframe at the top side of the leadframe in a flip-chip configuration,e.g., via solder bumps, Cu pillars, etc., and a second metal clip suchas a Cu clip is attached to the side of each driver die facing away fromthe corresponding leadframe (Block 840). The leadframes are then partlyencased in a mold compound using, e.g., using a FAM process (Block 850).Inserts may be used during the FAM process to ensure the surface of thefirst metal clip facing away from the leadframe is not covered by themold compound, and that the surface of the second metal clip facing awayfrom the leadframe also is not covered by the mold compound, so that thesemiconductor package has double-sided cooling via the first and thesecond metal clips. The molded bodies may be subjected to a de-flashingprocess such as chemical de-flashing, laser de-flashing, etc. to removeflash from the molded parts which may accumulate during the moldingprocess (Block 860).

Terms such as “first”, “second”, and the like, are used to describevarious elements, regions, sections, etc. and are also not intended tobe limiting. Like terms refer to like elements throughout thedescription.

As used herein, the terms “having”, “containing”, “including”,“comprising” and the like are open ended terms that indicate thepresence of stated elements or features, but do not preclude additionalelements or features. The articles “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural as well as the singular, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the artthat a variety of alternate and/or equivalent implementations may besubstituted for the specific embodiments shown and described withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. This application isintended to cover any adaptations or variations of the specificembodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is intended that thisinvention be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A semiconductor package, comprising: a leadframecomprising leads and a plurality of die pads; a mold compound partlyencasing the leadframe so that the leads protrude from the mold compoundand at least two of the plurality of die pads have a surface at a firstside of the leadframe which is not covered by the mold compound; a lasermodule attached to the surface of the at least two die pads which is notcovered by the mold compound, the laser module configured to emit laserlight outward from the semiconductor package; and a driver die attachedto the leadframe at a second side of the leadframe opposite the firstside so that the laser module and the driver die are disposed in astacked arrangement, the driver die configured to control the lasermodule, wherein the driver die is in direct electrical communicationwith the laser module only through the leadframe and any interconnectswhich attach the laser module and the driver die to the leadframe. 2.The semiconductor package of claim 1, wherein the leads extend along afirst plane within the mold compound, and wherein the at least two diepads extend along a second plane within the mold compound different thanthe first plane so that a step is provided between the at least two diepads and the leads within the mold compound.
 3. The semiconductorpackage of claim 1, wherein the leads and the at least two die padsextend along a same first plane within the mold compound.
 4. Thesemiconductor package of claim 3, wherein the mold compound has anopening which extends to the surface of the at least two die pads, andwherein the laser module is disposed in the opening.
 5. Thesemiconductor package of claim 4, further comprising a transparent epoxycovering the laser module and filling the opening in the mold compound.6. The semiconductor package of claim 4, wherein a thickness of thelaser module is less than a height of the opening in the mold compound,and wherein the thickness of the laser module and the height of theopening are measured in a direction perpendicular to the first side ofthe leadframe.
 7. The semiconductor package of claim 1, furthercomprising one or more capacitors attached to the first side of theleadframe or to a second side of the leadframe opposite the first side.8. The semiconductor package of claim 7, wherein the one or morecapacitors are encased in the mold compound.
 9. The semiconductorpackage of claim 7, wherein the first side of the leadframe is notcovered by the mold compound so that the one or more capacitors are notencased in the mold compound.
 10. A method of manufacturing asemiconductor package, the method comprising: providing a leadframecomprising leads and a plurality of die pads; partly encasing theleadframe in a mold compound so that the leads protrude from the moldcompound and at least two of the plurality of die pads have a surface ata first side of the leadframe which is not covered by the mold compound;attaching a laser module to the surface of the at least two die padswhich is not covered by the mold compound, the laser module configuredto emit laser light outward from the semiconductor package; andattaching a driver die to the leadframe at a second side of theleadframe opposite the first side so that the laser module and thedriver die are disposed in a stacked arrangement, the driver dieconfigured to control the laser module, wherein the driver die is indirect electrical communication with the laser module only through theleadframe and any interconnects which attach the laser module and thedriver die to the leadframe.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein theleads extend along a first plane within the mold compound, wherein theat least two die pads extend along a second plane within the moldcompound different than the first plane so that a step is providedbetween the at least two die pads and the leads within the moldcompound, and wherein the driver die is attached to the leadframe in aflip-chip configuration.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein the leadsand the at least two die pads extend along a same first plane within themold compound, wherein the driver die is attached to the leadframe in aflip-chip configuration, and wherein the surface at the first side ofthe leadframe which is not covered by the mold compound via anover-molded film-assist molding process.
 13. The method of claim 12,wherein an opening is formed in the mold compound during the over-moldedfilm-assist molding process, the opening extending to the surface of theat least two die pads and sized to receive the laser module.
 14. Themethod of claim 13, further comprising: covering the laser module andfilling the opening in the mold compound with a transparent epoxy. 15.The method of claim 10, further comprising: attaching one or morecapacitors to the first side of the leadframe or to a second side of theleadframe opposite the first side.